A Halloween to Remember
by bohogirl
Summary: Angel shows Mark why her favorite holiday is Halloween and gives Mark a special gift.markangel friends


**Title: A Halloween to Remember  
Author: Jen  
Feedback: Loved and adored greatly!  
Pairing: None, but has some Mark pining for Angel, mentions of Roger/Mimi, Collins/Angel, Joanne/Maureen, reference to Mark/Maureen  
Word Count: 1986  
Rating: PG-13 for use of the F word  
Genre: Humor/Fluff/General I suppose  
Summary: Angel shows Mark why Halloween is her favorite holiday  
Notes: My first time writing Angel physically dressed as a woman. Go me!  
Special Thanks: To Jonathan Larson, taken too soon  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
Disclaimer: Rent belongs to the Larson's and not me. If it did, I'd be rich and I'd know Jesse L. Martin. **

Mark was alone in the loft. Again. Roger was downstairs doing, well, Mark could only assume what he was doing with Mimi and he hadn't been home in a few days.

It wasn't that Mark minded being alone. He'd actually gotten used to it since Collins had moved away. Roger had been there but more of a shell then an actual person to talk to. Most of their conversations consisted of Mark trying to convince Roger to go out, Roger saying no, and back and forth like a tennis match, ending with Mark sighing and telling Roger to make sure to take his medicine before heading out to film.

Lately, however, spending his days between working for Buzzline and coming home to the empty loft, he got sick of being alone. He'd settle just for someone to talk to.

Collins was who he would normally turn to but he was busy with his work and, of course with Angel. They had become almost permanent attachments of each other, rarely apart.

Angel. Now there was someone he wished he could talk to more. Maybe it was a bit of a school boy crush, but there was something about him...her that appealed to Mark. Especially dressed in a pair of torn jeans and a baggy t-shirt, so different from her usual crazy outfits, Angel was a wonderful person to talk to. Mark found him very down to earth and soft spoken, a far cry from his female alter-ego.

Mark wasn't exactly sure of his sexuality half the time. He remembered hearing, the following day of course, how drunk he'd gotten one night and how he'd hit on Collins. Collins laughed all through his retelling as Mark turned redder and redder.

"I'm...I'm not gay," he stammered out. "Not...not that there's anything wrong with it or anything but I'm not. I like...I like women and boobs and..."

Collins had chuckled and pulled Mark into a large bear hug. "Ever think maybe you aren't gay and you aren't straight but perhaps a little bi? Selectively, of course."

For a good year afterwards, Benny, Roger, and Collins would all tease Mark, calling him their favorite, selective bisexual. Even after he got together with Maureen, when the four of them were alone together, they would tease him mercilessly.

Angel was different, though, or at least that's what Mark tried to tell himself. Angel dressed as woman, acted like a woman, probably wanted to be a woman so that really didn't mean that liking him, er her, made a person gay. Besides, Angel belonged to Collins or rather Collins belonged to Angel. Either way, Mark knew no matter how gay or 'selectively bi he was, he would never be as close to Angel as he wished to be or thought he wished to be.

Mark was very confused. He went over to the window, sat on the ledge, and stared out over the city, his mind racing a hundred miles a minute.

"Markie?" called a very familiar voice from the other side of the loft door. "Markie, are you there?"

Mark nearly fell off his seat. "Angel? Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm here. Be right there." He quickly grabbed a trashcan and began shoving old paper plates, cups, and other trash that had been on the table for God only knew how long in it. "One sec." He tied the bag shut, put it out on the fire escape, and ran to the door. "Hey, Angel, sorry. What are you doing here?" he asked as he opened the door.

Angel sashayed in, because Angel always sashayed when she was done up in her best. "Oh, it's ok, honey really." She pressed a kiss to Mark's cheek. "I was bored out of my mind. Collins is teaching and has meetings all day today. Roger and Mimi are...otherwise occupied. Maureen and Joanne are either fucking or fighting or both so I figured you and I could spend some time together. I don't get to spend enough time with my Markie." Angel smiled and walked over to the couch, sitting as delicately as any authentic woman would.

Mark blushed a deep crimson. "I could use the company I suppose." He smiled and sat nervously next to Angel, wiping his hands on his pants.

"I won't bite, sweetie, really," Angel said, chuckling. "Despite what Collins may have told you. Anyway, I just wanted to sit, talk." She looped her arm through his. "I don't know enough about you."

"Like what?"

"Oh, your favorite color, mine's red, and your favorite holiday. I simply _love_ Halloween. Dressing up as something you're not, the leaves falling, the crisp fall air, seeing all the kids running around. I simply love it." Angel gave Mark's arm a squeeze. "What about you? What was your favorite Halloween costume? I never really had a favorite and wore a new one every year. Homemade by my mother and, oh, honey, she was the best. Where I got the knack from I guess, watching her all those years. But one of the best was the devil. It was red and the opposite of my name. Now, well," She chuckled as she looked down at her current attire. "Now I'm always in costume, so to speak, and I love it."

"I don't know, really. I mean, we never really _celebrated_ Halloween in my family. I mean, I went out and everything but my costumes were always, you know, simple, cheap store-bought ones. And my mother would go through the candy. Barely got to eat any."

Angel's eyes widened. "Oh, Markie, that's no way to celebrate Halloween! We have to fix that." She stood up and put her hands on her hips, tapping her heeled foot. "Hmm. What to do?" She started pacing slowly back and forth. "I know! I know just what to do!"

Mark could only imagine what Angel had in mind. "If it involves me in a dress..."

"Oh, Markie," she said, chuckling. "You're adorable but you'd be a horrible woman. No, no I have a different idea. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." Angel ran as quickly as one could in six inch heels out of the loft, leaving a confused Mark behind.

He wasn't sure if he should be insulted at the woman comment or flattered that Angel thought he was adorable. He waited, anxiously in the loft for Angel to return, hoping whatever her idea was wasn't too shocking.

Angel came barreling through the door nearly forty minutes later, very unAngel like, her arms bogged down with clothing and small bottles. She dumped the pile onto the floor. "Mark, sit," she said as if she were ordering a dog.

Mark sat on the couch, even more nervous then before. Angel sat on the table across from him, one paint nail pressed against her lip as she eyed Mark.

"Ok, first. I want you to put..." She started digging through the pile of clothes and pulled out a white, button down, dress shirt, a dark blazer, and a pair of dark blue jeans. "These on. Go ahead. Strip. We're both, technically speaking, guys here. Despite...outward appearances."

Mark chuckled nervously but pulled off his sweater and shirt, putting on the button down and blazer. He paused at his pants but saw Angel wasn't going anywhere. With a sigh, he unzipped his pants, tugged them off, and, moving quicker then he thought was possible, pulled on the jeans.

Satisfied, Angel began running her fingers through Mark's hair. "Now, what to do with this hair? Hmm." She turned away again and dug through the various bottles she'd brought with her. "This!" She squirted a small amount of liquid into her hand. She reached for Mark's hair but he pulled away. "Mark, honey, you trust me don't you?"

Mark sighed and stammered a bit. He did trust Angel, he just wished he knew where she was going. "Well, yeah, but...I..."

"Mark, sweetie, really. It'll be ok. It washes out. Trust me." She gave his hand a squeeze and he nodded.

Angel let out a squeal of joy before rubbing her hands together then working her fingers through his hair.

He couldn't see what she was doing but he closed his eyes anyways. It was only when he heard the snip of a pair of scissors that he opened his eyes. "Angel, what..."

"Baby, trust me, ok?" Angel said from over his head. "It's just a little. When was the last time you got a hair cut anyways?"

"It wasn't on the top of my 'to-do list'. Had other things to spend money on."

Angel gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before returning to her work. After a few more snips, she set the scissors down and sat in front of Mark again. She worked her fingers through his hair again, styling it in a way Mark was sure it had never been styled before. "There! Now, you just need to lose these."

"Hey, I need those," Mark said as she pulled off his glasses.

"Calm down. Boy, Roger was right, you do need some pussy."

Mark scowled. "Why does everyone talk about me when I'm not there?"

"Oh, Markie, calm down. We do it because we love you. Relax. You'll get them back. Here. Put these on." She handed him a pair of sunglasses.

With an exasperated sigh, Mark slid on the sunglasses.

"Perfect!" Angel exclaimed, clapping her hands, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come and look."

She dragged him into the bathroom and in front of the mirror.

His mouth dropped slightly when he saw his hair slicked back and spiked a bit, the suit looking clean and crisp, the sunglasses fitting his face rather well, and the whole look together made him look like a star who wanted to hide but wanted to be seen as well.

"Angel..."

"I know, isn't it great!" Angel kissed his cheek again. "I feel like...like, I don't know, this is the reverse _Pretty Woman_ or something."

Mark pulled off the sunglasses and stared at Angel. "I'm not a hooker though."

"You take things far too literally, Markie. But that makes you you I suppose. Oh, I can't wait for everyone to see you. We're meeting them at the Life soon. You look too hot. You'll have to fight the women off."

"And men?"

Angel cocked her head to the side. "It is the Life so probably." She pinched his cheek. "Isn't this fun? This is what I love about Halloween. I can't wait for it to come this year."

Mark had to smile. If there was one thing that people had a hard time frowning at, it was Angel's cheerfulness. "Me neither. Think you can help me, Ms. Schunard, stylist for the starving Bohemians?"

"Of course I can! Who knows, maybe Collins will let me go for the night and you can be my date. We make quite a pair don't we?" She put her arm around his waist and grinned. "A lovely couple."

Mark blushed again but put his arm around Angel's waist. "We sure do."

"Come on, let's get to the Life. I can't wait for everyone to see you. Oh, can you just _see_ Maureen's face? To think she gave you up." Angel adjusted Mark's collar. "Crazy girl. Who would let you go?" She smiled and took Mark's hand. "Come on, honey. Let's go knock their socks off."

Mark smiled again as they headed out of the loft. Judging by Maureen's face, Angel had succeeded in her goal. Collins and Roger laughed as Angel recounted the whole tale to them while Joanne and Mimi gave him their undivided attention. Mark couldn't wait for Halloween. It may be months away but he had a feeling it would be a Halloween to remember.


End file.
